Cantab ‘Original Prankster’ Dies, Aged 94
by Harry Shukman
CambridgeTab.co.uk
11th February 2012

One of the oldest former members of the infamous Cambridge Night Climbers has died, aged 94.

Nares Craig, who studied at Trinity in the 1930s, was well-known for his activity in the elusive Night Climbers.

This small and select group of daredevils ran, jumped and swang over the rooftops of Cambridge under the cover of darkness, just for kicks.

Back in the day, Nares made his name by climbing King’s Chapel to hang an effigy of King George VI just before his coronation.

Writing in his memoirs, Nares remembered ‘a rash of bunting and union jacks’ appearing all over Cambridge.

‘It prompted me,’ he said, ‘to think of some appropriate way of mocking the whole pantomime of royalty.’ (more…)

‘The Cacophony Society’ is more than just a clown show
by Richard Chang
The Orange County Register
February 10, 2012

Grand Central Art Center is exploring one of America’s most playful fringe organizations in ‘The Cacophony Society – Zone Show.’

Multi-colored fliers line the walls outside Grand Central Art Center’s Main Gallery. A blue banner hangs from the ceiling and reads, “Welcome Homeland Security.”

A red, black and white sign just inside the Main Gallery mysteriously states: “You may already be a member.” Further inside, chaos and mayhem ensue.

“The Cacophony Society – Zone Show” is the newest exhibition at Santa Ana’s Grand Central Art Center. It opened Feb. 4 with a massive reception attended by thousands crowding the Artists Village, and continues through April 15. (more…)

‘Bitter bench’ which tilts forward when used part of unknown artists’ group protest against Brisbane City Council’s response to homelessness
by Robyn Ironside
The Courier-Mail
February 3, 2012

PUBLIC transport users are literally being thrown off their seats in bus shelters as part of a bizarre protest against the Brisbane City Council’s apparent response to homelessness.

An “unofficial” public artwork in William St, the city, features a bench that tilts forward when used – tipping people off.

A spokesman for the artists’ group, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the so-called “bitter bench” was installed without council permission on the site of a recently removed bus shelter popular among Brisbane’s homeless. (more…)

The adventures of Milk Man – the worst super hero in the world!

by freddiew: Just some cool dudes making sweet vids with rad FX!

via: GeeksAreSexy.net

Submitted by Joshua Darrah: Here’s a prank I pulled on my friends and family recently:

STEP 1: Secretly shave off your two year long hair.
STEP 2: Glue it into a wig.
STEP 3: pull it off to freak your friends. 40 of them.

I had been growing my hair for a couple of years, and wanted to go back to a shaved head, but I wanted to make it a surprise to my brother that i was suddenly shaving my head. I have NO IDEA where the idea came to me from, but i wondered if I would be able to cut off my long hair, keep it, then hot glue it into a wig. I would then wear that wig of my own hair (yes this is slightly serial killerish i know!) and while hanging with my brother, suddenly pull off my ‘hair’ and be shaved headed in a split second.

I told him I was filming a video project, that way I could film his reaction. And man it went down a treat! I then realised I could wear my wig to every visit with friends and family over the coming 2 months, I eventually pranked over 40 of my close friends and family. I’m editing it into a long version for Youtube in the next couple of weeks, but for now I hope you enjoy this 30 second clip.

I’ve entered it into an Australian prank competition (which is why it is constricted to 30 seconds only, argh!).

Competition link for voting: http://www.messinwithmates.com/entry-selection.html?video_id=494

Submitted by Roger:

Mister Wrong
by Carl Swanson
NY Magazine
October 23, 2011:

After he’s done dangling his oeuvre from the Guggenheim’s atrium, Maurizio Cattelan plans to retire from the art world. It’ll be like being dead—or resurrected.

Maurizio Cattelan’s first show in New York, in 1994, consisted of a self-­portrait in the form of a live donkey wandering around a gallery under a chandelier, braying inconsolably. That show wasn’t up long—there were noise complaints—but even now, when his always-wry sculptures sell for millions and his unbelievably elaborate full-rotunda Guggenheim retrospective is about to open, he retains that same posture of self-­suspicion. “Today I would say I don’t know how I arrived at this point,” he says, sitting on a bench near a playground on West 28th Street, not far from the West Chelsea galleries, cocking a knowing eyebrow at a sudden whiff of marijuana in the air.* “I don’t know how I arrived at this point, at the Guggenheim. There must be something wrong somewhere.”

Article continues after this announcement:

Continue… (more…)

From Reverend Al of the Cacophony Society:

The new year will bring us many strange things, among them a museum exhibition on the history of Cacophony and the Suicide Club, opening on February 4 — in Orange County of all places (along with sneak preview of Jon Alloway’s documentary on our group).

SHOW INFO:

Details follow… (more…)

Anonymous Hackers Targeted By FBI, Homeland Security For Potential National Security Threat
by Paul Elias
Huffington Post
September 11, 2011

San Francisco — Anonymous is not so anonymous anymore.

The computer hackers, chat room denizens and young people who comprise the loosely affiliated Internet collective have increasingly turned to questionable tactics, drawing the attention of the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal investigators.

What was once a small group of pranksters has become a potential national security threat, federal officials say.

The FBI has carried out more than 75 raids and arrested 16 people this year in connection with illegal hacking jobs claimed by Anonymous.

Since June, the Department of Homeland Security has issued three “bulletins” warning cyber-security professionals of hacking successes and future threats by Anonymous and related groups, including a call to physically occupy Manhattan’s Wall Street on Sept. 17 in protest of various U.S. government policies. (more…)

Updated and corrected August 19, 2011:

From John Lundberg of circlemakers.org:

Banksy also played around during The Antics Roadshow ad breaks. Here’s a compilation of his handy-work.

Here too is a recent piece he put up outside Bristol on the M32, which is featured in one of the ad breaks. In our earlier post, we suggested it might be part of the ‘See No Evil’ street art project that starts on August 20, 2011 in Bristol. But, apparently it’s not… Funny, none-the-less.

Related link:

Watch Banksy’s debut television special, The Antics Roadshow here. Broadcast in the UK on Saturday, August 13, 2011, it’s not yet available in the U.S.. The Joey Skaggs interview starts at 28:45…

Related link:

Joey Skaggs was interviewed for Banksy’s upcoming television documentary The Antics Roadshow set to air on Channel 4 in the UK this Saturday, August 13 at 10:45 pm, following the television premiere of “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” Directed by Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz, produced by Melody Howse.

Quoted from Channel 4:

“Banksy’s ‘incomplete guide to total anarchy’ provides a greatest hits of wayward behaviour, sedition and sabotage.

“The Antics Roadshow is a celebration of the pranksters, hoaxers, jokers, activists and stunt merchants who use public space for their own unauthorised ends. This film brings together a wide range of individuals with all sorts of motivations: but they have all hijacked the public arena to make a noise, be it for comedic, artistic or political ends, and they have all done so using a variety of illicit, and eccentric methods which an audience should probably not try at home.

“Explaining his reasoning behind the show, Banksy said: ‘Basically I just thought it was a good name for a TV programme and I’ve been working back from there’.

“Narrated by Kathy Burke, The Antics Roadshow examines the stories behind some of the most audacious stunts of recent times and what motivates the perpetrators, from mindless boredom to heartfelt political beliefs.”

Baseball’s Pastime: Pranking
by Scott Cacciola
The Wall Street Journal
August 9, 2011

How Ballplayers Use Practical Jokes to Police the Clubhouse; Mr. Laird, You’re Under Arrest

Late in Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Elliot Johnson sought to put his spin on one of baseball’s time-honored traditions. It had nothing to do with throwing around the horn or stretching in the seventh inning.

Instead, he rimmed the bottom of a paper cup with a big wad of bubble gum and set about affixing it to the top of third-base coach Tom Foley’s helmet—which happened to be sitting on Foley’s head.

Unfortunately, the cup came tumbling off, ruining the gag. But Foley understood the value of a good clubhouse prank, dating to his own playing days, and thus felt obligated to do his part. So he reattached the cup to his helmet, voluntarily becoming the butt of the joke. The scene was broadcast on television, and Foley said he got a text from his daughter: “You look like an idiot.”

Baseball pranks are a tradition nearly as old as the game itself. They run the gamut from innocent to extreme, a usually unseen facet of baseball that remains an essential thread in the sport’s fabric. “Listen, the game’s predicated on failure,” Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee said. “If you can’t laugh at yourself and enjoy yourself with teammates, it can be a long season.” (more…)

Rapture or prank? Clothing with burn marks found at Olin-Turville Park
State Journal, Capital Times
May 26, 2011

Did the Rapture happen in Madison after all?

Do we finally have evidence of alien abduction?

Or was it the work of a clever band of artistic pranksters?

Clothing with apparent burn marks along with such personal effects as wallets, watches and keys was found Sunday on the largest hill of Olin-Turville Park, according to a Madison police report that quickly gained attention Thursday, circulating on Facebook, Twitter and media websites.

But a simple Google search revealed that people across the world undertook similar actions in response to the declaration by a fringe California preacher that last Saturday certain Christians would be transported to heaven.

Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain played along, writing an uncharacteristically long and descriptive report that he posted to the Internet on Thursday afternoon. (more…)

April Fools’ Day 2011
Metro.co.uk
March 31, 2011

April Fools’ Day: Top five April Fools’ Day jokes in sport ever: For some, April Fools’ Day is all fun and high jinx, but for others it’s just those with no sense of humour playing along with the rest of the human race. At Metro we thought we’d celebrate five of the best sporting April Fools’ jokes of all time.

Top 5 YouTube pranks: To celebrate April Fools’ Day this year, we’ve had a look back at some of the best YouTube pranks to cross our jape-loving paths.

April Fools’ Day: Joke ideas to play on your work colleagues and friends: It’s April Fools’ Day and once again workers around the country will be playing a host of tricks on their colleagues and friends. If you’re short on prank ideas, read on for Metro’s guide to the best jokes to play.

April Fools’ Day movie special: Top 5 ill-advised film pranks: It’s the week of April Fools’ Day and innocent pranks are very much the order of the day. We bring you our five best film pranks.

Submitted by Nick: Over the last few days we have been working on an infographic entitled, April Fools 2011: Pranks Around The Web. We stayed up late so we could get first peek at 2011 pranks online this morning, which allowed us to quickly add them to our infographic. Needless to say were a bit tired, but very happy with the infographic we created.

We will be updating this post throughout the day with any new and exciting April Fools’ Day pranks of 2011. Keep your eyes peeled and… enjoy the below April Fools infographic which includes the top pranks of today as well as the past.

[Editor's note: We added the links. They probably won't work after today]

Top April Fools 2011 Pranks Online

Google – Motion gaming has become extremely popular over the past few years with the Wii, Move, and Kinect. Now Google wants to make Gmail motion controlled, thus launching Gmail Motion. No keyboard or mouse needed, hand and body gestures will control everything for you. All of this is detailed on the custom site Google launched for April Fools day. The motion functionality even looks to extend to Google docs, for which Google also created a custom site experience. Another Google prank you will notice when typing in a search today is a job open for autocompleters, and you only need to type 32,000 words per minute to apply.

YouTube – In honor of April Fools, YouTube decided to go retro and give users a feel for what it would have been like for the business in 1911. They even have 1911 logos on all YouTube videos, and when you click it, the video will transform into a vintage, silent, motion picture. Everything will turn to a dirty and grainy yellow accompanied by old-school piano music, looking something like a Charlie Chaplin film. (more…)